From ExecuThrive CEO, Sara Martin
As we navigate the evolving landscape of hybrid, in-person, and virtual work, leadership’s role in setting the tone for company culture and expectations is more crucial than ever. Leaders are balancing company performance with corporate social responsibility, talent retention and employee well-being. A recent New York Times article profiled Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol’s decision to super commute, traveling from his home in Newport Beach to the company’s headquarters in Seattle by private jet. This decision has sparked controversy. A hallmark of Starbuck’s brand is their pledge of sustainability, promising to “give more than [they] take from the planet.” A 1,000-mile commute multiple times a week has been criticized by many to be at odds with the Starbucks brand, flying (literally) in the face of that pledge, and it emphasizes that hybrid work does not impact all employees the same way.
Contrast this with another case study. Previous T-Mobile CEO John Legere completely transformed himself when he became CEO in 2012. When he came on board, he dressed, acted, and spoke like any other executive at T-Mobile, a dying company. Recognizing that T-Mobile needed a brand revolution to compete in the mobile carrier market, Legere started by transforming himself as a leader, donning his signature leather jacket, pink T-Mobile t-shirt and pink Converse All Star sneakers. He looked the part of “one of the regular guys” and acted like it, too, engaging in ongoing radical listening tours and having legitimate concern for the customers’ needs. T-Mobile became the “un-carrier”, carving out a reputation for identifying typical pain points in the marketplace and solving them—providing frequent and free upgrades, free overseas 2G data and texting, ending convoluted contracts, and so on. Legere embodied what he wanted to see for the company. He revolutionized the brand. Under his leadership, T-Mobile became the third largest mobile service provider in the US prior to his departure in 2020.
The punchline? Successful leaders must become their vision for what they want to see for their company and their employees. And that goes for well-being, too. Executives have a responsibility not only to a company’s bottom line but also to the well-being of its employees, and these two things are highly correlated. Research by Gallup and other analytical advisors have shown that organizations who report thriving employee well-being measures also see positive impacts on their bottom line: fewer sick days, higher performance, and lower rates of burnout and turnover. But before they can create an impact on employee well-being, leaders need to first develop skills and behaviors to maintain their own health.
Resilient companies rely on aligned, healthy leadership who lead from their humanity. At ExecuThrive, we empower leaders to feel their best while staying focused on building successful businesses and influencing a healthy workplace culture.
Headlines We’re Talking About
Here are some recent workplace well-being headlines we’re talking about right now:
Novo Nordisk’s commitment to reducing workplace stress.
For the past 10 years, Novo Nordisk has tracked employee stress through annual surveys and set goals to decrease it year over year. Levels of reported workplace stress fell before plateauing at 14% of its employees in from 2020 to 2023, an impressive feat considering the increased pressures put on the pharmaceutical company during the COVID pandemic. Novo Nordisk considers six factors that influence stress: influence/control, social support, predictability, recognition, and meaning. Novo Nordisk has empowered leaders to use these tools and frameworks to gather candid feedback from their teams so that the root causes of stress can continue to be addressed. The company has also demonstrated the tangible progress that can be made when companies prioritize and resource thoughtful, results-focused employee well-being initiatives.
Climate change’s impact on employee well-being
A recent Harvard Business Review article highlighted an unexpected issue for employers: the impacts of climate change on employee health and well-being. One estimate suggests that 4 in 10 nonelderly workers are in occupations with increased risk for climate-related health impacts. In addition to driving up healthcare costs for employers, the impacts of climate change on workforces also threaten to lower productivity, engagement, and labor availability. Among the remediation strategies proposed by HBR is prioritizing mental health and developing climate change audits to track and understand the impacts on employees going forward. These recommendations highlight the need to be able to understand and measure employee health and well-being to get to the root of the problems that need to be addressed.
The importance of building workplace community
In a recent Fast Company article, Harvey Deutschendorf, an emotional intelligence expert, writes about the importance of building community in the workplace. Deutschendorf cites a 2022 study by BetterHelp, which found that 69% of employees are unsatisfied with their connections at work and 43% do not feel a sense of connection, which compounds with recent research from Gallup, finding that 1 in 5 employees worldwide felt lonely. Deutschendorf identifies five benefits to focusing on building a community in the workplace which include improved mental health and well-being among employees, decreased turnover, and improved success of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
